Metro-North Ridership Surges After Breakneck Ridge Station Reopens

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Metro-North Railroad ridership levels are getting closer to the old days before the pandemic — particularly because the Breakneck Ridge station north of Cold Spring reopened on May 28.

The bad news: it won't be open long.

Since the station reopened on May 28, Metro-North has carried 90 percent of its pre-pandemic ridership on back-to-back weekends.

Prior to the reopening, a visitor wishing to access the trail would have had to get off at Cold Spring and walk roughly two miles from Cold Spring.

The physical improvements at the station and trailhead are part of a massive, many-pronged effort to improve the Hudson Highlands State Park. SEE: Hiking The Hudson Highlands: Metro-North Improves Train Access

Safety is one of the imperatives: In the spring of 2020, the state actually closed all trails and parking areas along the corridor including Breakneck Ridge, Notch Trail and Mount Beacon because so many people were walking on Route 9D.

More than 1,000 people may hike trails on and around Breakneck on a weekend.

Coming soon: a pedestrian and bicycle path connection between the train stop and the Breakneck Ridge trailhead to keep pedestrians out of the roadway. The Breakneck Connector will be part of a future 7.5 mile linear park called the Fjord Trail, which will be accessible directly from Metro-North's Hudson Line stations at Cold Spring, Breakneck Ridge and Beacon.

And therein lies the rub. The Breakneck Connector is slated to go to construction at the end of 2022. When it begins, the Breaknec Ridge train station will again close until the completion of construction in 2025, and hikers will have to hoof it from Cold Spring again.

Until then, Metro-North will make stops at Breakneck Ridge on weekends and holidays, with six northbound trains stopping at the station in the morning and five southbound trains in the evening. All trains are designed to give hikers multiple opportunities to reach and return from the trail each weekend day.

The enhancements include a new pathway that diverts hikers from the shoulder of Route 9D and provides a safe path of travel between the northbound and southbound platforms, a safety fence separating pedestrians from the railroad tracks, anti-trespass panels around the train platforms, and temporary wayfinding signage to assist visitors in easily accessing the hiking trails.

“Metro-North is happy to reopen and provide direct service to a popular Hudson Valley hiking destination and to deliver important safety improvements that will enhance the overall customer experience for our riders,” said Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi. “I want to thank our partners at NYSDOT, OPRHP and the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail for their support and also acknowledge the great work of Metro-North employees in effectuating these upgrades.”